Randy Orton wins Royal Rumble 2017; Undertaker, Goldberg eliminated within minutes

This year's grand contest proved to be a lost cause

KARACHI: Royal Rumble 2017 was a historic night, but not perhaps for all the right reasons. In the most hyped Rumble in years, John Cena made history by defeating AJ Styles for the WWE Championship and Randy Orton won his second Royal Rumble match on Sunday night.

The two superstars, who have been the cornerstones of WWE for over a decade, won the top two matches, adding more accolades to their list. The outcomes give rise to multiple directions for the road to Wrestlemania. However, Orton and Cena’s wins have surely left many fans disappointed, and even shocked.



So let me ask you this: How could the WWE disappoint hundreds and thousands of fans with the most star-studded Rumble in recent years and a show-stealing bout between Styles and Cena?

One must remember it is 2017, not 2007. Cena and Orton’s win shows that WWE is still stuck in the past and is unwilling to let new stars takeover. Even though the betting odds showed he was a favourite, Orton’s win came out of nowhere. There were other stars that should have been given a chance to shine.



Balor was a favourite but his absence from the bout showed he must not have been medically cleared due to his shoulder injury. It’s surprising that the match which thrives on having surprise entrants did not even have one this time around. Samoa Joe had been rumoured to debut but didn’t show up. So, how does one explain Orton’s win? Considering the current storyline he is involved in – as part of the Wyatt Family, it should end with him facing his current ally Bray Wyatt for the WWE title at Wrestlemania, if Wyatt wins the title at Elimination Chamber in February. The other option is Orton vs Cena.

Now consider this: How many times are the fans supposed to be interested in watching Orton and Cena fight? The two have had countless battles over the last decade, to the point that their last few bouts received negative reviews, not because they were poor matches but because they were overdone and repetitive.

John Cena. PHOTO: WWE

Besides, Cena tying Flair’s 16 world championship reigns could be a milestone that will be remembered for years to come. However, if we take into account the possibility that he will lose it in a few weeks, then there is no justification for the win. On the other hand, if he doesn’t lose, the fans will have to bear the torture and witness yet another Cena vs Orton match. While the best route to Wrestlemania would have involved Joe or Balor, the only fresh scenario to go for would be to build toward Orton vs Wyatt.



Moreover, while Roman Reigns lost his opportunity to claim the WWE Universal Championship from Kevin Owens, he ended up as the 30^th entrant in the Rumble, much to the crowd’s dismay. The last entry is ritually kept for someone who would hype up the audience. Instead, Reigns who lost earlier in the night was handed the spot. As a contrast, Styles, who also lost earlier, was not given a spot. Reigns even eliminated the Undertaker, garnering thunderous boos and was the last to be eliminated.

With only one NXT call-up (Tye Dillinger) in the match and poor booking (Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker – who were marketed the most on the show, only lasted an accumulative of 10 minutes in the match), Rumble proved to be a lost cause. It is even more unfortunate as the previous night’s NXT Takeover: San Antonio set a relatively lower bar for the show, and it still didn’t deliver as much as it was anticipated.

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